Lead Cybersecurity WAF Specialist

The Lead Cybersecurity Web Application Firewall (WAF) Specialist is the organization's top expert and strategic lead in the domain of WAF and application-edge security. In this pivotal role, you will define the vision, strategy, and standards that ensure robust protection for our public-facing applications across Cox Automotive.

As the Lead Specialist, you will drive the architecture of WAF implementations, lead intricate threat response efforts, enhance automation and logging capabilities, and collaborate with cross-functional engineering, cybersecurity, and business teams to guarantee resilient, scalable, and cutting-edge WAF protections. Your main responsibilities will include refining and improving security policies, implementing WAF for new public websites based on established architecture patterns, and actively participating in security events to utilize the WAF as a defensive measure against cyber threats.

Utilizing your technical expertise in web application Firewalls as a crucial cybersecurity control, you will harness your understanding of networking concepts such as DNS, HTTP/S, and edge services to effectively route website traffic. Strong collaboration with diverse teams across the organization will be essential.

What You'll Do:

• Lead and advocate for the enterprise WAF, shaping its strategy, patterns, and standards alongside the architecture team. We seek someone passionate about WAF who can enhance security across all public-facing sites and APIs.
• Evaluate WAF rules to identify improvements and communicate recommended changes for enhanced protections.
• Collaborate with security architecture on long-term WAF strategies, including technological standards, architectural patterns, and security roadmaps.
• Author and maintain essential runbooks, playbooks, and threat-specific WAF tuning strategies while driving the creation and continuous enhancement of automated detection and triggers.
• Conduct cyber engineering trend analysis and reporting, recommending enhancements to tools, infrastructure, and policies to elevate security.
• Participate in security events and incident responses (e.g., botnet traffic spikes, Layer 7 attacks) to identify design gaps and propose solutions to mitigate future threats.
• Research and assess emerging security trends, threats, and technologies, proposing suitable solutions and improvements.
• Work closely with AppSec, Cyber Defense, and Engineering teams to promote secure-by-default practices.

Who Are You:

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in a related field and six years of experience, or a combination thereof such as a master's degree with four years of experience, a Ph.D. with one year of experience, or 18 years of relevant experience.
• A minimum of four years in cybersecurity, with at least two years focused on managing enterprise WAF.
• Proven expert-level experience in architecting, implementing, and operating enterprise WAF solutions across various environments.
• In-depth knowledge of network traffic routing between clients and servers over the Internet (e.g., DNS, HTTP/S, CDN/edge routing).
• Ability to communicate cybersecurity policies and procedures effectively to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Demonstrated experience leading technical initiatives and mentoring engineering teams.
• Excellent customer service, writing, and presentation skills.
• Ability to foster a productive working environment, collaborating effectively with other cybersecurity teams within Cox Automotive.
• A consultative approach to navigating complex discussions with employees and leaders.
• Proficiency in Python and Terraform.
• Ability to creatively solve complex cybersecurity challenges while demonstrating strong business acumen.
• Experience with Agile methodologies and DevSecOps.
• Track record of initiating change and implementing solutions in Fortune 1000 companies.
• Familiarity with cybersecurity frameworks (e.g., ISO 27000, NIST) and relevant regulations to inform architectural requirements (e.g., GDPR, FFIEC, GLBA).

Preferred Qualifications:

• Knowledge of current cybersecurity architectures like zero trust, IaaS, PaaS, SaaS, virtualization, and containerization.
• Strong understanding of cloud containers and serverless platforms (e.g., EKS, ECS, Lambda, Fargate).
• Experience with security testing tools such as Fortify, BurpSuite, and Wiz.
• Expertise in technologies including .NET framework, Mono, Spring frameworks, Oracle, cloud patterns, and security protocols.
• Proficient in cloud infrastructure (AWS, GCP, or Azure) and on-premises services.
• Experience creating cybersecurity best practices across all application layers in both cloud and on-premises environments.
• Knowledge of Identity and Access Management (IAM), cryptography/key management, and security protocols (e.g., multi-factor, SAML, OAuth, OIDC).
• Experience with firewalls, WAFs, and understanding of DMZ and network architectures.
• AWS Well-Architected Framework familiarity.
• Experience within critical infrastructure industries (telecommunications, financial services, defense, government, etc.).
• Experience with a Big Four consulting firm or Fortune 500 company.
• Relevant industry certifications (e.g., CISSP, CEH, OSCP, Azure, AWS, CISM, CISA) are preferred.

Compensation ranges from USD 122,600.00 to 204,400.00 per year, and may vary depending on factors such as the job location and the candidate's qualifications. Additional compensation may include an incentive program.

Benefits:

The company offers eligible employees flexible vacation and paid time off, including seven paid holidays and up to 160 hours of paid wellness leave annually. Additional paid time off is available for bereavement, jury duty, military leave, and parental leave.